A lighthearted look at parenting, mid-life, and day to day events by a survivor of a disabling car accident and mom of 3.

It's All About Lifestyle

November 28, 2011

If you live in the US, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Actually, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving weekend wherever you live, and whether or not you celebrated.

My last guest leaves this afternoon. I will then look around my thrashed house, freak out about The State Things Are In ... and begin the process of guest-recovery. I'm sure I'll get everything back in order just in time for the return of family and guests in three weeks ....

Here's a look at what I've been doing the past several days:

• Cooking, cooking, cooking.

• Eating and drinking too much. Stretchy pants have never felt so good!

HDR photo of the beach last weekend. And no, I don't like HDR photography but I was playing with it anyway.

• Car shopping. I hate car shopping. Hate, hate, hate! However, my current car is leased and the lease is up in a couple weeks. I need to look at cars in spite of the fact I hate doing it. (And no, I have no idea what I'll end up getting.) What a waste of beautiful weather, don't you agree?

• A little Christmas shopping ... primarily for/with my daughter while she was in town to try on clothes.

• A little online shopping ... to avoid the malls as much as possible. I'm a hermit at heart and I hate shopping in crowded malls.

• Managing a really bad pain flare-up. (Is there such thing as a good pain flare up? I think not.) I'll try not to bitch too much, but ....? Whine, whine, whine!! Also? OUCH! I think I'm on the downswing of it now ... thankfully. It, quite honestly, knocked me on my ass for a couple days.

Unstable bluff area - stay clear!

I felt like I should walk around wearing the above sign, or something similar. "Extreme pain flare-up, resulting in UNSTABLE moods, STAY CLEAR!"

• On the positive side, all three of my kids were here for Thanksgiving. It was so nice.

November 09, 2011

We had rain here last Sunday. It was kind of nice. Briefcase lit a fire in our fireplace and I spent the day getting caught up on a lot of "inside" things while he worked.

We have our first (supposedly) big storm arriving on Friday.

For many of you, this would be no big deal. A big storm for us is probably small by the rest of the world's standards. But, we don't get that many storms so .....

OMG.RAIN.OMIGOD.WE.MIGHT.GET.WET!!!

I've been planning accordingly. I've been ignoring most of my responsibilities and getting as much photography time as I can while the weather is nice.

And yes, that has caused a bit of a pain flare-up.

And yes, I did see Dr. Painless yesterday. I'll tell you more about that in a different post.

For now,

Here are a few of the shots I've taken in preparation for rain ....

(Because when it rains, Orange County-ites tend to hibernate and avoid the outdoors at all costs.)

Beach cave at Treasure Island

I love the above cave. Why are we drawn to holes in rocks?? Is it something left over from caveman days?

There are still plenty of flowers blooming here ...

Yellow flowers

Aren't the flowers pretty? I'm not sure what kind of flower they are, but I saw them right near the sand. They're so bright and cheery.

The birds of paradise are also blooming like crazy right now. There's orange and purple everywhere in Orange County, or so it seems. I have better photos, but this one is right in front of me so I'll share it:

Bird of Paradise

We've had some unbelievably beautiful evenings too. Many times the sunsets are so intense, so vivid, I feel like everyone will think I've completely saturated the color on the photos I take of them.

"This looks fake even though it's real," I mutter to myself.

Do you mutter to yourself?

I seem to mutter a lot, especially as I edit photos.

And, although I do love spectacular sunsets ...

I love "dusk" at the beach just as much.

Dusk at an Orange County beach

Make sure to visit tomorrow so you have a chance to win my give-away!!

The beach is pristine; the water is clear. It's so much prettier than most Southern California beaches.

Tidepool Educator

There are hot men who work at Treasure Island also.

Having grown up on Southern California beaches, I laughed out loud when I first saw a Tidepool Educator.

For someone who has lived on the beach for years, the concept is funny.

BUT ...

A lot of people who visit here know little or nothing about our beaches - especially about preserving them. Visitors think it won't hurt to tromp all over the tidepools and/or to take home a "souvenier" from them.

Wrong people!

If everyone takes home one or two beautiful shells and a couple hermit crabs as pets - soon there are none left.

So ...

The Montage Resort is providing funding for the Laguna Ocean Foundation to monitor the nearby tidepools. A Tidepool Educator answers questions, provides information about the plants and critters living there, and keeps people from doing anything to destroy the marine habitat.

Have I mentioned the Montage Resort really wants to invite me as a guest so I can tell you about their beautiful resort? No?

November 07, 2011

I spent a good chunk of my weekend getting my computer set up the way I want. It might not be 100% there yet, but I'm getting close.

I even managed to carve out some photography time this weekend.

I'm so happy to be getting my "life" back to normal now. I'm sure a lot more efficient when I have a laptop - especially a speedy one. (Any computer is speedy compared to the one I was working on these last few weeks!)

Unrelated aside: I've had several requests from people wishing to purchase photos. I haven't uploaded any for awhile.

Why?

I'm in the process of working on a re-design for Twenty Four At Heart. (Actually, I'm working with a web designer - she's doing the hard part!) Part of the re-design involves streamlining the photo purchasing piece of this puzzle. I'm making some big improvements. I want things to be easier for you, and hopefully simpler for me.

If you feel like you absolutely "must" have a particular photo right now, let me know and I'll make arrangements for you. Otherwise, I'm holding off on uploads until the re-design is complete. (Having no computer for a couple weeks slowed down everything.)

My son went to his high school homecoming dance over the weekend. I was asked by a few of the kids to be "their" photographer. I almost strangled an obnoxious OC mom in the process, but I used amazing restraint and didn't.

Homecoming photo.

Pretty shoes.

The above photo is my son's date. All the girls had really high heels on. Ouch?!

As soon as I was done with homecoming photos, I drove straight to the beach. I arrived with just moments to spare.

Tripod set up on the beach for sunset.

Two women approached me as I was taking photos of the sunset.

"Are you going to take a photo of the sunset?" one of them asked.

????

"Do you think I should?" asked my Smart-Ass Self.

"It's very beautiful tonight," nodded one of the women as she eyed my camera mounted on a tripod staring straight at the sunset.

I nodded back at her.

"Sounds like a good idea," I responded. I continued clicking away then, ignoring her. She hovered at my side for quite awhile. Eventually, the two women wandered a few feet away, sat on some rocks, and watched me take photos until the sun set. Once in awhile, they'd give me helpful tips like, "Did you get THAT?!"

Sunset at the beach on Saturday evening. (Photo titled: You reach for me; I melt into you.)

October 12, 2011

Is it wrong to love the woman who yanks your pubes out? Carolyn and I laugh, and laugh, and laugh when I visit her. (OK, I also gasp now and again ... but that's to be expected, right?) Carolyn knows things about me no one else does.

I mean, not many other people have my vagina spotlighted and magnified on a regular basis ....

This is what the inside of a Very Expensive OC Weed Doctor's office looks like:

Doctor's lounge chair.

I don't know if anyone other than the actual doc has ever sat in the lounger?

I burst out laughing when I saw it. Then I sat in the other (normal) chair in the room, not the lounger. Next, I had a lengthy discussion about chronic pain and nerve damage with Dr. Weed.

This is Grey Wolf:

American Indian named Grey Wolf.

I met Grey Wolf last weekend and he was kind enough to allow me to take his portrait. I think it came out very nicely.

Have I mentioned (a bazillion times?) Orange County is gorgeous in October?

2) I went into a bad pain flare up on Friday. I didn't let it stop me, but it definitely slowed me down. I walked around with clenched teeth for a good part of the weekend. Can you say thank.you.pharmacist for Percocet??

Saturday morning couldn't have been more beautiful. I drank coffee out on my patio in the sunshine while being entertained by hummingbirds. We always (year round) have several hummingbirds living in our yard.

Saturday was different though.

Dozens, upon dozens, of hummingbirds (migrating from the Pacific Northwest) had stopped in for some food. I have three feeders in my yard, and I had to refill all three of them by mid-morning.

Hummingbirds feeding.

I've spent my whole life around hummingbirds and I've never seen so many in one place, at one time. Hummingbirds are highly entertaining birds to watch. They dart, they dodge, they chase each other ... they're a blur of constant motion. It was amazing to see so many together at once. (The non-local hummingbirds have now continued on their journey to Mexico for the winter.)

The second highlight of my weekend was doing a "night shoot" on the beach.

It was such a beautiful evening.

It was magical ...

Really, there are no words for the beauty I'm surrounded by.

Sun setting at the beach, silhouetting palm trees. Orange County, CA

Being out with my camera on such a breathtaking evening (and night) was so good for my soul. It lifted me up when the physical pain I was in would otherwise have been overwhelming.

September 19, 2011

I'm out of town for a couple days. I'm not going far, and I'll have details about my adventures for you tomorow or Wednesday (depending on how much writing time I can carve out for myself.)

I've spent a lot of time beach hopping lately, which isn't unusual for me any this time of year. Most of the tourists are gone, and the weather is great.

I love photographing the beaches, but I also love meeting new people.

This is Austin Keen:

Austin is a local skimboarder.

I stopped by Aliso Beach last week after having run a few errands. I wanted to take a couple scenery shots before the sun set.

(No, Austin was not what I had in mind ....)

Aliso Beach

As I was leaving the beach, I met Austin.

He's very passionate about his sport, and he was happy to let me photograph him for awhile.

Skimboarder, Austin Keen.

I hadn't planned on shooting any people. I found myself wishing I had brought my telephoto lens to take photos of the skimboarders in action.

Regardless, I wanted to photograph Austin because he has The California Look.

Austin invited me to come back and get more shots.

He wants everyone to learn more about the sport of skimboarding.

Do you know what skimboarding is?

Skimboarding is a sport which began here in Orange County. (Lifeguards in Laguna Beach invented it.)

A skimboard is smaller than a surfboard. It's dropped on the sand, where's there's a little water from a wave, and then the rider stands on it and glides along the surface of the water. The skimboarder might skim just along the sand. More often, the skimboarder rides/skims out into the ocean. Then he/she rides a wave back to shore, similar to surfing.

September 12, 2011

Venice Beach, in Los Angeles county, is more famous for its boardwalk than for its actual beach.

When people talk about "those crazy Californians" they're most likely talking about the type of characters you run into at Venice Beach.

The people watching is the best you'll find anywhere.

In fact, if you stick around long enough -

There's probably nothing you won't see at Venice.

Approaching the Venice Beach boardwalk.

Weed is very popular in Venice. There's a large Venice sub-culture supporting the legalization of marijuana. Stores selling bongs, pipes, etc., are common. So are small shops acting as medical offices.

Sign for medical marijuana evaluation.

Forty bucks and a flash of your identification gets you in to see a doctor. Tell the doctor you have a medical issue, of any sort, and you'll get a license for the use of medical marijuana. (More on this in an upcoming, separate, post.)

September 08, 2011

A lot of people don't realize, this time of year is often the hottest in Orange County.

In May and June (and sometimes even into July) we get foggy mornings along the coast which serve to keep the weather a little cooler all day. Come August and September, (and frequently into October), it gets hot, hot, hot here!

Tuesday's temperature.

Over the last week the hot weather has been intensified by humidity which we rarely get. (There was "tropical moisture" in the air according to our Local Weather-Barbie.)

What does this mean?

Why am I talking about something boring like weather?

Well ....

Orange County sunset.

I took the above photo from my driveway on Monday evening. (And yes, the colors are REAL!)

That same evening, just a bit earlier, I took this photo from my backyard:

Mountain sunset in Orange County.

The sunset(s) have been unbelievably beautiful as a result of the extra clouds and moisture in the air.

On Tuesday, early evening, I decided to go for a walk along the beach cliffs. I was hoping the air would be a little cooler right by the water. It was still hot, but it was definitely cooler than at my house. Of course, as always, I took my camera.

It was such a beautiful evening in Orange County.

The bluffs in Laguna Beach.

I just love "the golden hour" before sunset. It's my favorite time of day.

I made my way along the bluffs, until eventually I arrived at Laguna Main just in time for sunset.

September 01, 2011

I've been very active with photo sharing on Google Plus. I recently realized, a lot of photos I've shared there (primarily with other photographers), I have yet to share with you here. Of course, you're more important than anyone else. And yes, I sincerely do mean that.

Today, I'm going to share a few photos I've taken in the San Diego area this summer. San Diego is about one hour (driving time) south of where I live in South Orange County. By Southern California standards, that means San Diego is pretty damn close to where I live.

San Diego beach near the Hotel del Coronado.

I normally like photos with a more realistic look to them, but I was playing with the above photo and had fun stepping out of my normal comfort zone while post-processing it. (And for you photographer-types the above is not an HDR photo.)

Speaking of stepping out:

Oak wine barrels.

I took the wine-barrel photo at a wine tasting store in Carlsbad. I'd tell you the name of the store, but I must have tasted too much wine while I was there because I don't remember it.

Alcohol and the city of Carlsbad, (which is in the northern part of San Diego county), seem to go together:

Liquor store.

I fell in love with this old, funky, liquor store. I took a lot of photos of it while my husband looked on questioningly. Have I mentioned I love old and funky? (Especially when it comes to photography.)

I was walking to dinner in the Gaslamp District with my friend, Neil, one night when we both stopped dead in our tracks. A man was crossing the street in front of us, his guitar in hand. I immediately knew I needed to take his photo. (Neil and I were both on the same wave length in this regard.) We asked the man if he would mind stopping for a moment. He was more than happy to oblige.

Mariachi player.

San Diego, the city itself, has such a pretty skyline:

San Diego skyline.

I took the skyline photo while hanging out with some blogging friends on Coronado Island. We were waiting for a ferry back to our hotel after having lunch at the Hotel Del. The people I was with were in awe of Southern California weather, plants, topography. We went to Coronado specifically for them to put their feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time ever. It made me realize how much I take for granted my beautiful surroundings and beach lifestyle.

I hope you enjoyed the photos of San Diego, and San Diego county today.

Tomorrow I'm going to answer some reader questions I've received. If you have anything you've been wanting to ask, feel free to leave it in the comments section today even if it isn't related to today's San Diego photos. If you're too shy, you can also email me directly.

August 30, 2011

In spite of my fear, I've wanted to take a ride in Orange County's famous "Big Orange Balloon" for a long, long time.

Last weekend, I did.

Me, up in the hot air balloon.

The above photo was taken inside the balloon when we were about 200 feet above ground.

Please note, I'm desperately clutching the side of the "basket." I clutched the inside railing of the hot air balloon basket the entire time I was up in the air. (Also, a total stranger had his arm around me trying to reassure me I wasn't about to fall to my death.)

I was totally about to fall to my death!

By the way, the giant orange balloon is tethered to the ground. I guess the tethering keeps you from floating out over the ocean where you'd fall and be eaten by sharks, but it certainly wouldn't stop you from dropping like a rock if the balloon popped.

(Yes, these really were the thoughts going through my brain as I risked my life for the purposes of a blog post and a few cool photos.)

The hot air balloon ride lasts about ten minutes. It's also free. That's right, it doesn't cost a penny to risk your life. (You do need to get tickets ahead of time at the Great Park Visitor Center though and tickets go quickly.)

I couldn't look down without hyperventilating, so I concentrated on looking straight out at the horizon and the, admittedly, beautiful view.

When we reached 200 feet, I was proud of myself for making it through the ride. Then our "pilot" informed me we had arrived at the halfway point and had another 200 feet to go.

Halfway point?

As we reached 300 feet, the wind began to pick up and the balloon began to sway. It tilted somewhat to one side. Our pilot asked a few people to walk over to the other side of the basket to help balance it. They did.

(I don't think they wanted to plunge to their deaths either.)

At 400 feet the wind could really be felt.

Someone asked the pilot if people have "freaked out" once they're on the ride. He said yes and told us a story about a "big tall guy, at least six feet five inches tall" who laid down on the floor of the basket (face down) so he couldn't see out and would feel more secure.

I laughed.

Then I thought about laying down on the floor of the basket, but I didn't dare let go of the side railing for a second. (Because holding onto the side of the basket was helping to keep us up in the air!)

A woman on the ride with me decided to jump up and down hard inside the basket. Her jumping didn't have any affect on the basket at all. I begged her to please stop anyway because Omigod.We.Are.All.About.To.Die.

She laughed at me, but she stopped.

Who does that?

Who thinks it's funny to jump up and down inside a hot air balloon to see what it will do?

When you're 400 feet up in the air?

Rides on the balloon are cancelled whenever the wind picks up. It wasn't windy when we first took off, but I was (of course) convinced the breeze wind was about to tip us over and make us fall to our deaths once we were up in the air.

As we began our descent, the wind swayed the balloon more and more.

By the time we were back down to about 75 feet above the ground, the balloon was really swaying.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we finally landed safely.

And then, you know what I said?

"That was SO FUN!!"

And I meant it.

Next time, I want to go up at sunset.

Orange County Great Park Balloon at sunset

Can you imagine how beautiful the city and harbor lights are at night?

August 25, 2011

Orange County, (Orange County, California - of course), has a park I've never told you much about. If you live in Southern California, or have an opportunity to visit, you will probably want to check it out.

It's called the Orange County Great Park and it's located in the city of Irvine. It's relatively new and it isn't quite sure what to do with itself yet. (The El Toro Marine Corps Air Station used to be at the park's location.)

People playing chess at the Orange County Great Park.

There are a few tables at the park where you can play chess. Personally, I don't think I'd ever think to go to a park if I had a sudden urge to play a board game but maybe some people do? It isn't that I don't like chess, it just isn't a game I think of as "park recreation." In any case, the chess boards (warped, no less) look very appealing sitting out on the tables.

(There are outdoor chess tables at Laguna Main Beach also. Outdoor chess tables might be a new trend in Southern California?)

The Great Park has a food court area which is very convenient if you need a beer some nourishment.

Once in awhile there are concerts or other events held at the park.

Last weekend, I also showed you a photo of the beautiful carousel at the Great Park, making the park kid and family friendly.

A few months ago the Great Park also began hosting a Farmer's Market on Sundays. I haven't made it to the farmer's market yet, but I plan to visit soon.

The park is definitely most famous for being home to "The Big Orange Balloon" as we (OC natives) are prone to call it.

Orange County's "Big Orange Balloon."

In the above photo, my friends are pretending to hold the Great Park's balloon. In reality, they're nowhere even close to it.

A close-up photo of the Orange County Great Park hot air balloon.

It's a hot air balloon capable of holding up to 30 people. It's also a free "ride" at the park. When you go up in the balloon, it remains tethered to the ground. (It can go up as high as 400 feet.)

The balloon is lit up at night and can be seen floating in the sky from miles away. Around Halloween the balloon is decorated as a giant jack o'lantern.

By the way, there's a sign by the balloon stating you aren't allowed to jump from it. I find the sign very amusing. (When you ride the balloon, you're in a cage so you can't jump out and fall the 400 feet even if you are really, really, drunk!)

The park is a little random right now - evidence of its growing pains.

My friend, Nike, and I riding the giant bike (actually a bike rack that goes absolutely nowhere) at the Orange County Great Park.

I think the park is going to grow into something really good, given a little time.

August 23, 2011

One of the events I went to was a surprise birthday party for a long-time neighbor and friend.

Like many (most?) parties here, it was held outside.

The party was catered, and I was handed a margarita promptly upon arrival. Have I ever turned down a margarita on a warm summer afternoon? (I mean, I'd consider turning it down but I might hurt someone's feelings and then I would never be able to forgive myself.)

There were Mariachis wandering around entertaining us.

Mariachi playing his guitar.

I wonder if they get tired of playing the same music night after night?

There were two "Taco Bars" set up in opposite corners of the backyard.

Gavin, one of the caterers, was cooking at one of them.

Party caterer making tacos at a taco bar.

Taco bars are very popular at parties in Southern California.

Gavin was nice enough to let me take his photo. (Of course, at this point I was a little tipsy from the never-ending flow of margaritas so Gavin isn't in perfect focus.)

After everyone had finished up with their tacos, the mariachi players left and a DJ arrived to play dance music.

Please take notice of this next photo:

DJ playing music at a party.

First of all, LOOK - IT'S ROD STEWART!!

(Not really .... but, maybe?)

Second,

Did you notice how the quality of photos I took got worse and worse the further along the party went?

August 15, 2011

Yesterday found me in Carlsbad, a city about 35 miles north of San Diego.

Garden and/or yard sculpture at the beach.

Because I live in South Orange County, it's about equal distance for me to travel north to Los Angeles or south to San Diego. I tend to get restless easily. I like to grab my camera and take off for a day of adventure and/or photography whenever I can.

Right now, like Orange County, Carlsbad is in the height of tourist season. There were people everywhere. There was also a craft/art festival going on which attracted even more people.

Downtown Carlsbad, art festival in progress.

I like Carlsbad.

It's a fun, funky, beach town.

Funky is the key word for me. The funkier a beach town is, the more I like it.

Bike and surfboard rentals at the beach in Carlsbad.

I also know if I have a personal crisis, and blow out a flip flop, there's help nearby for only six dollars.

Flip flops for sale in crates at a beach store.

The funny thing about the flip flop crates, is they were available on an honor system. No one was outside the store to see if someone took them without paying.

I was walking down the street when I noticed even the cars in Carlsbad are beachy and funky.

Old woodie beach car.

I only had a split second to react, but I was lucky enough to get a shot of this one to share with you.

August 03, 2011

* I'll be posting from San Diego tomorrow, unless a gathering of 3,000+ bloggers causes the hotel's Internet to crash! *

Hele mei hoohiwahiwa means come celebrate in Hawaiian.

I'm in the process of driving to a big conference today, so I'm going to share a few more glimpses of Hawaii with you. If I share, it makes it exactly as if you were right there celebrating a Hawaiian vacation with me.

Maybe?

And yes, I am having trouble adjusting to the end of my vacation.

Is it obvious???

I took the above photo of coconuts right from "our" beach. My son was sitting under the tree and I kept waiting for a coconut to fall on his head. (It didn't, but one did fall later in the afternoon and he brought it to me as a "gift.")

This tree was right by our lanai. Those are papayas you see up at the top. (The yellow papayas are ripe; the green are not.)

This next photo was taken at Kaanapali Beach early in the day before it got crowded:

The water was so beautiful ... everything you'd imagine for Hawaii.

Can you stand another photo of a plant?

Hmmm ...

Which do you want to see - mangoes or bananas?

Okay, so the bananas won. (They just seem more exciting than mangoes. Also, I've got a weak spot for photos with lens flare.)

Here's something you'd never see in California:

It's illegal to ride in the back of a truck in California.

On Maui, we saw people riding around in the back of trucks all the time. I couldn't get used to it. By the way, the people in this particular photo found it very amusing I was taking their photo. They probably thought my purpose in photographing them was to show friends Real Live Hawaiians vs. people riding in the back of a truck.

We also saw a lot of sea turtles.

(By a lot, I mean - too many to count, every.single.day.)

Of course, I now feel like I need to close with a sunset photo.

Here's a shot I took of my daughter as she took a photo of the sunset with her iPhone.

August 02, 2011

I have so much to blog about, but as I forewarned you - I'm doing a lot of traveling which is making it difficult to find time to write.

* Me (hair in ponytail!) in Lahaina on the island of Maui - photo taken by Briefcase. *

I know, I know ...

You feel terribly sorry for me ... travel stress going to and from Hawaii.

* Blurry iPhone photo from Maui *

What a catastrophe my life is, right?

I have a really shocking travel story to share with you as soon as I get the chance.

I also have some interesting photos to post in upcoming days.

Today is a transition day as I unpack from Hawaii and prepare to leave for BlogHer11 (the world's biggest blogging conference) tomorrow.

* Pre-Hawaii pedicure ... will it hold up for another week or two? *

Next week my life will (hopefully) begin to settle down into a more normal routine.

Hawaii was wonderful, of course.

How could it not be?

I'll be honest,

As of today, I'm not looking forward to attending BlogHer.

I signed up to attend the conference a year ago, and now I find myself less than enthused to go.

The reasons why are a soap opera unto themselves, and for the time being I'm going to keep them to myself. I'm hoping, once I do arrive at the conference, I end up getting everything out of it I originally hoped for. (Regardless, I'll let you know either way.)

The days in Hawaii were lazy.

Every morning I sipped coffee on our lanai, listening to the waves crash just a few feet away.

I spent my time walking, hiking, reading, swimming, taking photos, hanging out on the beaches, being amused by sea turtles, etc.

(My Internet access was very sketchy which was probably a blessing.)

Every evening we indulged in fresh sashimi and other appetizers, along with libations, out on our lanai.

Most nights we barbequed dinner on the beach as the sun set.

Have I mentioned how beautiful it is in Hawaii?

Occasionally, we treated ourselves to a meal out.

It was great to have some very concentrated "family time" with all three of my kids present.

I fell asleep each night with the large sliding glass window of my bedroom open. The sea breeze and the crashing waves lulled me to sleep.

Oh, how I wish I could live just feet from the ocean every day!

Now, instead, I'm doing a couple quick loads of laundry and heading down to San Diego. I will be blogging as I continue my travels.

July 28, 2011

Have I mentioned it's hot here? I'm used to heat, but I'm not used to humidity. I know the humidity in Hawaii is nothing compared to what many of you live with every day, but ANY humidity is new for me. I have to take short breaks from it now and then.

I thought I'd post a few Hawaii photos while I'm cooling off.

To be honest, I haven't gone through most of my photos yet and some of these are from my iPhone. Nonetheless, I thought I'd share a glimpse of Hawaii.

My son took the above photo on Kaanapali Beach on Maui with his phone.

I took the above rock/seascape at Napili Bay after a wonderful breakfast at The Gazebo restaurant.

There are geckos everywhere. This isn't much different from home for us, but we were surprised when this little, tiny, baby gecko appeared out of the sand and climbed on my son's foot. (My son had a pet gecko for years so this occurrence didn't faze him in the least.)

A sign like the above (interpreted from Hawaiian into Photographer's Language) means, "If you go beyond this point, you'll be able to take some great photos."

July 11, 2011

I woke up in the middle of the night on Friday, with off-the-chart pain shooting through the back side of my shoulder, down my disabled arm, and also affecting the upper right quadrant of my back. It felt like lightening bolts of jagged glass traveling through my body.

(Possibly an alien has taken up residence in my damaged parts?)

I don't know what caused this sudden onset of pain.

I didn't "do" anything unusual.

It's a new and horribledifferent type of pain than what I usually have and it hasn't let up since. It's severe enough to make me feel sick to my stomach. (And yes, severe pain CAN do that.) It's also making me gasp/moan/wince out loud from time to time. This is very unusual for me. Those of you who know me, know I usually just get extremely quiet when I'm in a lot of pain.

Anyway, I tell you this not in a bid for sympathy but rather, as a preface to this post. I'm on Dilaudid which is a very strong pain narcotic. It makes my head spin this way and then that way, and then way over there too. I don't take it often, so I'm not used to it.

In other words, who knows what I might misspell write today ....

I will try to provide a few snippets from my weekend anyway.

• I listened to two OC women discussing their designer flip flops at length. One was pro Vera Wang and the other was pro Tory Burch. It was a pretty heated discussion and the entire time I was looking at their shoes and thinking, "Really?? They're just flip flops!" I don't mean to question people's priorities, but ...?

• I brought Mike's Hard Lemonade, in a thermos, to a high school baseball game. (For my parent friends, not for the players.) That's probably against some type of school rule, don't you think? But it was hot and it was an extra long game. Also, several parents appreciated the fact I brought it. (And no, I didn't even have any myself because I'm on pain meds.)

• I spent most of Saturday at the hospital emergency room with my youngest son. We thought he had possibly broken his hand in his baseball game. It was really (!!) swollen and sore after it got jammed when he was sliding.

After hours and hours waiting around, we learned it's NOT broken - just sprained.

While we were at the ER, several high school football players (my son's friends) came in for treatment too. There seems to be an epidemic of high school athletes getting hurt.

My son left looking like this:

We're glad it's a removable splint so he can shower, etc. Casts in the summer are so uncomfortable.

In better news, at least he scored a run when he did it - right?

• It's been really hot here ....

• I'm now on Google +, which is Google's newest social marketing invention (designed to take over the world). It's in a beta form right now, and you have to be invited to join. I think Google introduced it by "invitation only" intentionally to make people really, really, want to be invited to join.

It worked!

No one invited me the first ten days it was in existence and I felt sad. (Ten whole days - !!) It reminded me of being left out by The Mean Girls in high school. Then, all in one day, I got several invitations to join.

Thank you! (You know who you are!)

So far, I like Google + a lot. (Also known as G+.) I haven't had as much time as I'd like to become familiar with it yet, but I see a lot of potential already. It's like facebook and twitter, but better in so many ways. I'm looking forward to digging deeper, to learn more, over the next few days. I do have a few invitations to give away, but I'm not quite sure how to do that. (I'm sure it's not difficult, I just haven't had the time to explore yet.) If you're a huge techy, and/or addicted to social networking, etc., let me know and if I can get you an invitation I will.

• I went for a five mile walk at the beach on Saturday afternoon. I was in San Clemente again where the trains run right along the beach.

• I had an "incident" regarding a BlogHer corporate sponsor over the weekend. The story isn't worth telling here, but it did take up some of my weekend time. By the way, if you will be at BlogHer11 (in San Diego/beginning of August) please let me know so I can meet you. There will be 3,000 bloggers there and it will be difficult to find people without a little pre-planning and effort.

• I made "Beer Can Chicken" for the first time this weekend. I'll have more about that experience soon, in a separate post.

• I watched The Holiday while drugged up on pain meds. I can't say I recommend it, but Jack Black did a good job with his part. On the other hand, I might laugh every time I see him regardless of what he's doing.

• Lastly, I wanted to show you this photo. I don't know why I love it so much, but it's definitely one of my favorite photos lately.

(Also, here's a good question ... Do you like run-on sentences?? I seem to be full of them lately!)

• My phone. I know this is an obvious item, but when I travel I also make sure my iPhone has a Mophie Juice Pack attached. I'm way too phone dependent. I don't want my phone battery to run low right when I need it. By the way, I always seem to need it. (My phone is also my alarm clock, my map, my calendar, my travel guide, etc., etc!)

• An "everything bag" for the plane/car. I've mentioned this item before. This year I'll be carrying the Baggalini Only Bag with me. It will store all my travel-on items except for my camera.

• My iPod and my (very small) Sony wireless travel stereo speaker system. Okay, go ahead and laugh at me, but I love music. Small, travel, speakers can allow you to listen to music in your hotel room/condo/wherever without ear buds. They also allow you to share whatever you're listening to. (And yes, I just might hula with Briefcase, on my lanai, while listening to Hawaiian music this summer!)

• My Kindle. It's next to impossible for me to get undisturbed reading time at home. When I'm on a plane or in a hotel I thrive on quality reading time!

• MyNew Trent Power Pack. Did I mention I hate to be unplugged? I mean, unless I'm planning to be unplugged. I'm all about avoiding low batteries!

• My MacBook. It might be fine for you to leave your laptop at home, but mine is part of my anatomy. The sky will fall if I take a lot of photos and can't upload them instantly.

• Voltage adaptors, if necessary.

• Chargers for everything, of course. So easy to forget - but so essential!

** I also always have business cards with me. You never know when a casual conversation with a stranger will turn into a potential photography client and/or advertiser/sponsor and/or reader. **

July 06, 2011

I know it won't come as a surprise to hear I usually spend my 4th of July holiday on the beach.

* Not a perfect fireworks photo, but I didn't bring a tripod with me and I might have been drinking vodka.

In fact, Briefcase and I got married on the 4th of July, twenty four years ago, on the beach.

Also?

I'm a beach rat, born and raised.

I usually try to avoid holiday crowds on the coast, but there's nothing like watching fireworks over the ocean - it's the best.

In an effort to avoid the worst of the crowds (Newport, Huntington and Laguna Beach), I went to San Clemente. I also made a point not to arrive until after 4:00 in the afternoon. (This is normal for me, regardless of the date. I prefer late afternoons and evenings at the beach.)

Because of the holiday, it was much (!!) more crowded than normal.

People, people - people everywhere!

There was also a strong police presence, which I've never seen at the beach before. I saw several people get arrested. I'm not sure for what ... maybe public drunkenness?

The police were checking people's coolers for alcohol in the parking lot before they even got to the beach.

I also witnessed several lifeguard rescues.

A lot of people have no business being in the ocean. You know who you are people, so why do you go in the water anyway?

My friend, Nike, and I took a long, long, walk. It's a tradition we have, regardless of where we've set up camp for the day. We walk forever, we talk, we check out lifeguard rescues and ridiculous tourists. We notice hot men we'll never see again and we stroll past them like we're way too good for them.

Which we probably are.

Either that, or they're too good for us?

It was such a beautiful afternoon and evening.

Seriously, there are no words to describe how perfect it was.

* The train runs right next to the sand in San Clemente.

Nike's husband couldn't get over the spectacular sunset.

He kept telling me, over and over, to take photos because it was so beautiful.

"No one will believe the colors," I told him. "They'll think I photoshopped the hell out of my photos."

I'll share more of the sunset (and 4th of July) photos with you in upcoming days, but honestly the sky went from pink to gold to bright pink, to orange to ....

Well, it was just amazing.

Mother Nature wasn't about to be outdone by a fireworks show.

(Yes, both sunset photos, and the shot of the train, have been uploaded to the album titled Beach 2011 in my photo gallery! Thank you for your continued interest in my photography and, as always, please let me know if I've forgotten to upload one of your favorites.)

June 30, 2011

In fact, I've been running nonstop since my guests arrived last Saturday. Did I mention they arrived as the fire behind our house was being put out? Talk about a chaotic beginning to their visit!

Also ...

How much of Orange County can a person show off in one week?

In all the craziness of the fire, and the busyness of entertaining house guests, I forgot to charge my camera battery this week. (And yes, I DO have a backup battery - but did I have it with me the last couple days? No, I did not.)

I do have a few iPhone photos to show you, though:

My latest pedicure!

The nail art was painted on by hand - it was not stenciled on.

Isn't that amazing?

I think next time I'll go for a little brighter background color though.

(One of my guests wanted to go for a pedicure in a "Real Housewives" salon! Things like that make me laugh .... but hey, it was an excuse for a PEDICURE!)

The view from our table at lunch yesterday:

Sorry, these photos are obviously straight out of the phone. In fact, the above photo was taken through the plexiglass next to our table.

My guests were amazed to be sitting at a restaurant with the waves crashing underneath us as we enjoyed lunch.

I have to admit, it's fun to watch the excitement of people seeing/experiencing this area for the first time.

"Look how big those palm trees are!"

They were also amazed to see workers on cranes, trimming the dead palm fronds off the palm trees. This is something I never think twice about ... but it was the source of a lot of questions on the part of my guests.

We also hit up a few local malls, including Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Guests always seem to like Fashion Island because it's an outdoor mall, and there are a fair amount of designer stores there.

June 20, 2011

I realized this weekend, I've accumulated quite a few photos I should share.

Balboa Island is in Newport Beach, but it's not to be confused with the Balboa Peninsula. They're very close to each other (right across from each other in Newport Harbor), but they aren't the same place. There's a ferry you can take to get from one to the other though.

I don't really know how to explain Balboa Island.

First of all, Balboa Island isn't really an island, it's THREE islands.

(Balboa Island, Little Balboa and Collins Island - all man made.)

It's old.

It's cute.

It's beachy, but it's in a harbor.

There's water, and a little (!) sand, but no waves.

A lot of people like to rent beach houses there for a week or two in the summer.

Some very famous, wealthy, celebrities own homes on Balboa Island too.

June 13, 2011

• First things first, the winner of Friday's contest was Pam. And since more than one Pam entered the contest, it was the Pam with the following comment:

Happy Friday to you too! I hope you get your laptop back soon. The sun is shining here today--Thank God!!! Finally. :)

Have a great weekend.Pam

Pam, when you send me the email address you prefer, I will have your Amazon $50.00 gift card emailed directly to you.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

• Rooster Feather Controversy - After posting about my feather hair extension, a few readers contacted me to inform me roosters are being killed just to support this latest fashion craze. However, I was also contacted by a hair stylist who told me most salons are using human hair extensions colored to look like feathers. My take away on the matter is this - ask your stylist where his/her feathers come from if you plan to get a feather added to your hair.

• My laptop is back! Woo hoo! You probably already figured that out since I was able to post photos over the weekend.

• I was all over Orange County last weekend.

It was pretty,

As it usually is ....

Did you know people photoshop sun rays into their photos a lot?

I did not photoshop the above sun rays. Also, I never photoshop fake sun rays.

Just sayin' ....

• The highlight of the weekend was attending a very special wedding on Balboa Island in Newport Beach. The reception was held at the Balboa Yacht Club and the bride arrived to the reception by boat.

She looked gorgeous!

The wedding photographer went missing just prior to the bride's arrival at the reception. I was asked to fill in and take shots of her arrival, etc. I was honored and the photos came out great.

June 09, 2011

* I still don't have a computer. It makes it very difficult to get photos uploaded. Today's photos were taken with my iPhone. *

It's apparently a very bad year to be a rooster.

Hair stylists in Orange County are paying $300 for small, minimum, orders of rooster feather hair extensions to adorn people with.

These same feather hair extensions are selling out within minutes of becoming available. Feathers are very in right now. I suppose we have Steven Tyler (from the band Aerosmith and this season's American Idol) to thank for that.

Yesterday, I walked into my usual salon for a haircut.

The salon always displays/sells trendy jewelry in their waiting area.

It's mainly all feather jewelry right now.

Feather necklaces and feather bracelets ...

And also feather earrings:

I decided to have my hair styled a little shorter this time, with lots of choppy layers for summer. It came out cute and sassy. I think it will be a fun cut for the warm weather. I can blow dry it straight, or scrunch it up with a little styling gel right out of the shower and get on with my day.

Just as I was about to leave, my stylist suggested I add a feather extension to my hair. She pulled out bright fuschia pink, turquoise blue, and purple striped rooster feathers. She explained a feather extension would last for about three months.

I was tempted.

I love to play with my hair and I especially like to do fun things with it in the summer. (Some of you'll recall, I've put pink, purple and even blue streaks in my blonde hair from time to time.)

I told her I'm definitely up for a bright color or two a little later in the summer. (Perhaps right before BlogHer in August to help make me more identifiable in the crowd.)

I had a huge parent, high school sponsored, banquet to attend last night though and I didn't want to be quite so BRIGHT for it. (I think I've already been labeled as "the creative type," as it is.)

"I've got just the thing," she replied.

And she did ....

It's subtle and I can easily hide it in my hair when I don't want to show it off. The rest of the time, it adds a little bit of fun to my life.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with feather extensions, you can wash and style your hair just the same as you always do when wearing them. They last around three months, and can be adjusted during that time period to coincide with the growth of your hair.

Later in the day, a friend told me she has an aunt who's 85 years old and just got several feather extensions "which look fabulous."

June 06, 2011

* If you follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter, you may have already seen a few of today's photos. Sorry about that! *

Crystal Cove is a California state park which takes up just over three miles of coastline between Newport and Laguna Beach.

I frequent Crystal Cove a lot. It has extensive hiking trails, tide pools, generally less crowded beaches, and beautiful scenery. Many of the beach and sunset photos I've shared with you were taken at Crystal Cove.

There's one area of the park I haven't yet shared with you though. There's a section of the park listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When I visit there, I feel like I've stepped back in time. Old beach cottages from the 1920's and 1930's, some of which have been renovated, still exist right on the beach. (People are allowed to rent some of these cottages for vacations and they're very popular.)

A few of the cottages were originally built for the filming of movies, such as Treasure Island, Herbie Rides Again, and Beaches. Others were "real" beach cottages.

I realize many of you live in places where "old" and "charming" are common adjectives. In Orange County, however, it's a treat to see anything more than twenty years old. (Remember, even the ninety year old OC women try to look like they're twenty.)

Old is not something you see a lot of here, which is a shame.

I'll share more about the cottages in upcoming posts, but today I wanted to give you a small glimpse of this particular area of Crystal Cove.

From the minute you arrive, you feel like you've stepped back in time.

It makes me wish I'd been alive in the 1920's and 1930's.

I knew I'd be staying for most of the day, so I brought my camera backpack, a beach bag and a couple chairs.

It's easy to be delighted by the little things when you pay a visit.

Speaking of little things .....

This mother duck somehow got a bit confused.

You don't normally see ducks on the beach. Ducks are fresh water, not sea water, birds.

Mother Duck walked down the beach for a long, long, long, time with her nine babies. I watched her, feeling both amused and mystified. Eventually she found her way to an area where fresh water was running off into the ocean. She was quite happy once she got there. I guess the whole duck family got their exercise with a long walk on the beach.

Did I mention the word charming yet?

In fact, my favorite photo of the day was of another "little thing."

He's so adorable, I think he belongs on a postcard.

(Notice how he's holding his fingers ... sand feels funny!)

I can barely standthe cute!

* I'll have more on this particular area of Crystal Cove in upcoming posts. *

** P.S. Did you know if you do a zillion squats in one afternoon, (when you aren't used to doing them), you will have a really hard time going down stairs the next day week? This has nothing to do with today's post ... but - aack! **

May 25, 2011

* I have (finally) updated my photo site. Photos have been added to the 2011 and Beach 2011 albums. Sorry for the delay! *

My 16 year old son, who has been music obsessed since birth, has recently discovered The Beach Boys. He thinks their songs are very funny and outdated, but keeps playing them (with a huge grin on his face) anyway. The grin on his face might be because I dance around our house like a raging lunatic every time I hear California Girls. (I also baaaa a lot when I hear Barbara Ann.)

Did you know if you listen to Barbara Ann just one time, you will find yourself singing it for days on end?

In keeping with the beach music playing in my house right now, I thought I'd share a few more glimpses of last weekend with you.

Big, giant, waves were to the left of the frame in the picture below. I thought this was a cool shot though, with the spray behind these wave-watchers:

There are homes right along the sand on the Balboa Peninsula (Newport Beach), which is not uncommon here.

I love the charm of the beach houses. So many of them are tended with care.

Oh, how I would love to have a beach cottage.

(I would make mine charming too, I promise.)

Sadly, even a little beach cottage costs tens of millions of dollars here.

I don't want to sound dramatic, but can't we all relate to this rose?

It's just trying so damn hard ....

Speaking of trying hard,

Can you imagine the effort, and exhaustion, that comes with surfing fifteen foot waves?

I'm not a groupie of the surfer life, but I do admire all the talent, and hard work, it requires.

Surfers get beat to hell, tossed and thrown all over the place at the ocean's whim. They get slammed to the ocean floor with incredible force and they get right back up and do it all again.

It's kind of the story of my life ...

You don't have to know a thing about surfing to admire that type of passion and perseverance.

It was a nice excuse for people to skip work to hang out at the beach.

On Friday, I heard one man say into his cell phone, "Well, I don't have it right in front of me. I stepped away from my desk for a second."

Ha!

Something tells me there were a lot of other people doing the same thing.

Did I mention BIG waves?

The waves at The Wedge are dangerous because the surf goes this way and that way and overin that direction too - all at the same time!

Right as I went to take this next shot, a surfer walked into the frame. It's not an ideal photo, but I decided to share it with you to give you a size perspective on the waves. He was on the sand and the wave in front of him was about 11 feet tall.

When the waves would break, it would send ocean spray flying far into the distance.

CBS spent a good chunk of the day filming, because BIG WAVES are news here.

The man in the above photo was not from CBS. In fact, he asked me to take his photo in front of the CBS van. I'm not sure why. I think he was very impressed by the news van.

It's big, it's soft, it's durable - it will last for years. (They also make great gifts for teens anyone.) If you swim daily, beach frequently, or just love plush beach towels, this is a great pick. Even better - pick one up when they go on sale which is what I always do.

They've been around for awhile, but their popularity here is at full-fledged epidemic proportion right now. So ugly, they're cute ...? They're trendy, but not expensive and every pair purchased leads to one pair of shoes being donated to a child in need. That's right - you get to feel good about your shoe habit!

(Don't order them online though - you can try on five pairs in the same size and get vastly different fits. No two pair ever seem to fit the same. )

• I don't discuss it much on my blog, but I'm a melanoma survivor. As much as I love the sun, I'm always very careful with sun protection. I'm a fan of the company Sun Precautions. (I originally learned about them from a doctor.) When I'm out with my camera, by the pool, or at the beach - I almost always have their Women's Big Shirt draped over whatever I'm wearing.

It's huge, it provides 30+ SPF, and for years it (or one of their other cover-ups) has always been with me.

• Speaking of sun protection, I hate hats. They make me hot, they give me hat hair, they make my head sweat.

There's only one hat I've ever liked. Nike forced me to buy it years ago right after my melanoma diagnosis. It's a Helen Kaminski hat. It travels really well, stays cool in the hottest weather, and looks great too. I've worn it for years and years.

I balked at the cost initially (Kaminski hats are not cheap), but Nike insisted it would be worth it and she was right. Nike is always right. It's the only hat I've ever needed and it has held up great for (I think?) eight plus years of year-round use.

I don't think they still make the exact hat I have, but they have plenty of other cute ones.

In fact, as I was getting their link for you, I noticed this one:

How chic is that?

And yes, the one pictured above is expensive ...

But?

Gorgeous!

• Need a good tote for traveling this summer?

Well, here's another tip from my friend Nike. She's carried the same Baggalini tote bag with her while traveling for ten years! It's still in great condition. They've got so many choices of bags, there's bound to be one you like. (And their prices are very reasonable!)

I don't know if the bag Nike owns is still available, but I think this one looks perfect for a long flight:

It's called an "Only Bag." I'm not sure yet, but it might be the only bag I carry onto the plane with me this summer.